Map Name: Tribal War-FloridaLink to Thread: none at this timeMapmaker(s): Seamus76, V.J.Map Size: 60Your aims/design style: We are honored and excited to present to the community what we hope will be the next newly released map, and the first in a long line of Tribal Wars. For this we wanted to create a smaller map with multiple strategies for ultimate war domination. It includes a "free-for-all" region, the Timucua War Zone, which should create a fun opportunity for players to fight it out, while strategically maneuvering through the territories to secure additional bonuses. We hope you enjoy and welcome your constructive criticism and feedback.Relevant Experience: CC players Description: "There is no death, only a change of worlds".Tribal War-Florida is based on the 9 Native American tribes located in the Florida region during the late 17th Century, and during the initial influx of Spanish settlements and missions, and the eventual slaughter of many of the Native American Indian tribes. Players should round up their Chief (1 per tribe) and Warriors (4 per tribe), as well as amass weapons to achieve victory in Tribal War-Florida. Take over the Spanish fort, Castillo de San Marcos, for extra security and forces. This map incorporates resource collection (6 weapons), build-a-bonus, play style from standard CC maps, "free-for-all" region of the Timucua War Zone, and a bonus for holding the Spanish Fort.

44 territories can be starting points (excludes Weapons, Swamps, Spanish Fort, Conquistador, and four territories, AP-3, AP-4, TM-4, CH-2 will be coded neutral). All initial territories are placed at random from available starting points.

- Updated the starting positions in the XML to be the correct 8 terrts for 1v1 games. Also added dashes to the terrts names to be the same as they are listed on the map- Added clarification to the Canoe 2, so that it reads "Attacks Shell Mound and CH-2 only"- Added line at bottom to highlight this map as being CC's 200th map

CURRENT UPDATE INFO-2011-11-11:- Updated the bonus for Choctaw from +3 to +2- Updated the bonus for Creek from +4 to +3- Changed the border of CH-C so that it is now able to attack CR-1 and AP-3. This should open the Northwest up a bit.- The last XML I posted was not working, but this one should, and includes the changes I mentioned in the last update.

UPDATE INFO-2011-11-08:- Well the 200th map is in beta, we hope everyone is enjoying it. I know we are.- XML - Fixed the Bow & Arrow auto-deploy mistake to the corrected +2 bonus that it should have been. Also fixed the Shell Mound misspelling, and some other cosmetic changes.- Made some minor graphical updates to fix some stray pixels, and one of the territory lines on the small map.- I would like some feedback on lowering the bonuses of the Choctaw and Creek bonuses to +2. I know they can be attacked by multiple territs but they seem to be weighed a little heavy even given that.- We would also like to make CH-C be able to attack AP-3 and CR-1, to open that area up a bit. If we do that it might be better to make the Creek bonus +3 instead of +2, but still would like to lower Choctaw to +2.

Thoughts?

UPDATE INFO-2011-09-19:- No major changes, just some minor cosmetic updates and pixel cleaning.- In anticipation of V.J. starting the XML next week, when he gets back from vacation, I went ahead and hid the army circles on the small version.

UPDATE INFO-2011-09-08:- Changed around the title intro with the help of Marshal's suggestion, to hopefully add some flavor. Looks pretty good to me.

UPDATE INFO-2011-09-08:- I adjusted the arrow in the title so that the "a" and "r" in war weren't touching the arrowhead. I also redrew the back end of the arrow so that it wasn't under the map itself.- I adjusted all of the small map icons and text so that nothing is touching any border.

UPDATE INFO-2011-09-08:-I redrew all of the territory borders, using a darker base brown. I think they look a lot better now.

UPDATE INFO-2011-09-06:- Used natty's tip to scale the title text and made it wider.

UPDATE INFO-2011-09-06:- Played with the title a little. This version has a more gray color, and removes the red stroke. I centered it, and made each part larger(edit: and larger again) within it's own area. I tried lengthening the tomahawk handle, but it didn't look right coming from under the map. I also tried some other enhancements like adding some red satin, and some other things, but I couldn't get anything to look better than just the clean text. I know someone can help me with some thoughts, and maybe a quick tutorial, etc.- I added the dream catcher to the right side which now incorporates the signatures.

UPDATE INFO-2011-09-05:- Updated the title. I think it's a move in the right direction, but what does everyone think?- Tried again to fix the border in question next to MI-4 and CA-1. It should now be even more clear.

UPDATE INFO-2011-09-01:This update mainly tries to fix the issues with the small (630x600) map.- I enlarged the small map legend.- Increased the font size and "bolding" on all of the small map text, including all of the territory names, etc.- Adjusted any text and icons to make them all fit properly.- Made same adjustments to large map so they would both be consistent.- Fix typo in intro

UPDATE INFO-2011-08-30:- I enlarged the legend, and legend text, on both the Large and Small (700x667) versions

UPDATE INFO-2011-08-29:- I redrew the little border that was in question, on the right side of the lake, separating MI-4 and TQ-C. It should now be much more clearly defined.- I am submitting to be approved to use the 700x667 version as the small, which does make the map easier to read, and overall more aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

UPDATE INFO-2011-08-26:- Changes for this version include updating all of the text on each version to be more clear.- I redrew the little border that was in question, on the right side of the lake, separating MI-4 and TQ-C. It should now be much more clearly defined.

UPDATE INFO-2011-08-23:- I redid all of the text on the small map, thanks for the pro tip natty.- Increased the size of text on small version as well to help with legibility. Personally I think it looks pretty good.

UPDATE INFO-2011-08-21:- Sorry for the slow updates. Once I started putting in the 888's on the small map I realized I needed to adjust some of the territory borders so everything would fit. It's tight, but it all fits. I wanted the two versions to be the same so I made all of the changes to the large map before creating the small, which took me longer than I wanted. I know everything will fit the large map so I didn't add the 888's but if that is needed let me know and I'll start working on it.- I should have the title for the next update.- Thanks for feedback, let me know what's left before a sticky.

UPDATE INFO-2011-08-16:- Still working on the title...yes, still.- I have failed many things over the years, but this was the first failed Colorblind Test. Because of that, I changed the Ais and Tequesta tribe colors in order to differentiate them from the others. So now, those unfortunate colorblind individuals can still enjoy this map. And yes, that is pink, and I think it's two snap FAB-U-LOUS!! Just kidding, but yes it is pink, and real maps wear pink so I like it.- In anticipation of the hopeful Gameplay stamp I went ahead and started on the small version. It has been included, but please note I am touching up all of the wording to make everything cleaner and more legible.

UPDATE INFO-2011-08-08:- Still working on the title.- Updated Calusa bonus valued from +8 to +10- Updated both Jeaga and Tequesta bonus values to +2 from +1- Moved the upper border of the TQ-C territory down so that MI-4 can now attack CA-1, and CA-1 can now attack MI-4- Updated the bonus value of the Castillo de San Marcos from +5 to +3

I do like Marshall's idea of a build a bonus for the Spanish fort and chief, which will take some good work to redo the legend, so before doing that what does everyone think? or just keep it at the lower +3? Thoughts?

Thoughts? What's left?

UPDATE INFO-2011-08-07:- Still working on the title, but changed the font for this version.- Removed the "Part of no bonus" text from the legend swamp text.- Fixed the bonus region glows where needed.- *Changed the starting neutrals for the weapons from 2 to 3.

Thoughts? What's left?

UPDATE INFO-2011-08-01:I'm still working on the title, but wanted to get the Shell Mound/Conquistador area put to bed. I removed the second Conquistador, and added Shell Mound back. I also removed the "ruins" image I had and replaced it with a Teepee icon. I liked the idea of a bonus for taking both the Shell Mound Ruins and the Conquistador so I added that to the legend. Another small update was to move the "WAR ZONE" label a little.

In addition to any outstanding Gameplay issues, I would like to know if everyone likes the new Shell Mound Ruins icon, as well as the bonus for holding it and the Conquistador.

UPDATE INFO-2011-07-31:Major changes for this update are:1. Removed the Shell Mound Ruins and replaced it with another Conquistador. I then added a +2 bonus for holding both, and added that info to the legend. I also removed the Conquistador text on the right side.2. I tried to fix the where the border colors were a little messed up, as pointed out by DiM. Let me know if I succeeded.

I should have the title soon. Let me know what you think about the new update, and any outstanding issues with regard to gameplay.

UPDATE INFO-2011-07-28:Just to preface this, I am still working on the title. But for this update I added in the army numbers for an 8 player game, and added in all of the neutrals so everyone can see how it would initially look. The player army number locations were selected at random from the available starting positions. I re-worded the Shell Mound text to remove the "Attacked by..." info. I also added in a line to the right side Conquistador text to say they protect the fort. Again, I know it is a lone icon, but I think that also makes it less confusing, rather than if there two or three random Conquistador icons. I think at that point there would need to be further explanation, but as of right now I personally don't see it being a point of contention or confusion. In addition to the title, cosmetically I am working on some smaller issues, such as making sure the impassible color fills the entire area, etc. Please let me know if there are any other gameplay or graphics issues that you can see now so I can add them to the next version. Thanks.

UPDATE INFO-2011-07-21:I'm pretty excited for how this new update has turned out. I redid the legend Tribe names, and I think they look pretty good. Also thanks to the great feedback from koontz1973 I added the tribe/motherland border color to the impassables, as well as the swamp/alligator legend. The title is still a major work in progress, so this is not final. I just wanted to get this new version up to make sure I was moving in the right direction.

UPDATE INFO-2011-07-13:This updated builds upon the last version, v.3.9-b, which made the swamps/alligators impassible rather than decay. I added one more swamp and moved TM-3 to the War Zone. I also experimented with different textures, and colors for the background of those spaces as well as a potential glows on the alligators, but nothing looked right with the current colors, and actually detracted from the clarity so I left them as is. The fact that there will be no army circle or numbers on those will help differentiate them from any non-impassable territory. In the header description I removed the line about the Spanish Fort, which gave me a little room to make that larger and more clear. I also added back the "Conquistador" label on the right side, just so that it wasn't hanging out there with no explanation at all.

UPDATE INFO-2011-07-11:For this update I kept the gameplay the same as the previous version and only played with the colors of the tribe/motherland names, which was based on some good feedback, and I agree, it looks better and is easier on the eyes. The title has also been enlarged, but is still being worked on. From a gameplay standpoint, I included two additional versions, v.3.9-b, which has the same updates as v.3.9, but makes the swamps and wetlands (alligators) impassable rather than decay. I also changed one of the locations, swapping it with CA-2. For v.3.9c I completely removed the swamps and wetlands, and replaced them with 1 bow and arrow, and 1 tomahawk. Both of these were placed in the War Zone, and 2 warriors were put in the alligators spots. Please let me know if there are any ideas or preferences when it comes to these versions.

UPDATE INFO-2011-07-07:I updated the Creek bonus from +2 to +4, and made some minor cosmetic updates. More feedback please.

UPDATE INFO - 2011-07-04:I flipped the symbols that had been reverse from the legend. Also fixed the border between CR-1, CH-C and TQ-4 so that it doesn't look like CR-1 can attack CH-C anymore. Thanks for the feedback. Keep it coming.

UPDATE INFO-2011-06-28:Couple of edits, but I did not change the version number. The background offset was fixed, and I tried to clean up the alligators, canoes, and the canoe labels.

UPDATE INFO-2011-06-27:Another big cosmetic update for this one with crisper boarders, as well as a wider, more clearly defined river.

UPDATE INFO-2011-06-25:Just cosmetic updates for this one, but I think a good one overall. Mainly I reduced the size of the crescent moon shape for each warrior and chief. I have to agree with the feedback provided, this reduction seems to make all of the symbols less harsh on the eye and makes them all more easily identifiable, and distinguishable, from one another. I also slightly reduced the size of the bow and arrows, the tomahawks, and the alligators. For the next update, which should be late Monday or Tuesday, I will have crisper boarders, as well as a wider, more clearly defined river.

UPDATE INFO-2011-06-17:Firstly we removed the army circles, now that I know they will fit, to make the initial look less cluttered. The next main update was to the Choctaw region where I expanded it and made it include AI-3, and TM-2. Because of this I changed the bonus for those regions from +2 for Choctaw to +3, and from +3 for Creek to +2. Next I tried to clean it up a bit by removing some of the redundant info on the right side. I also reworked the legend portion to remove the chief symbol, then added the symbols back to the build-a-bonus section to clarify. This is how it was in v3.1 before changing it to v3.2 based on feedback. These bonuses have been updated as well to make them more worthwhile. Holding the Chief and 3 Warriors will now give a bonus of +3, and holding 4 Warriors is a bonus of +5. Based on good feedback the bonus for the Bow and Arrow is now +2, and the Tomahawk is also +2. The Conquistador resetting to neutral was kind of a waste, and makes more sense to be just a regular territory, so that has been updated in the main post. It will still start 2 neutral, but does not reset. The alligators are there instead of traditional impassables, which we wanted from the beginning but had to evolve this over time, and do serve a good purpose other than just for looks. I am open to making them reset to 2 neutral instead of losing 1 troop per turn, but want to keep them in some fashion. Along those lines they will no longer be needed to hold the region bonus they reside in, which makes it easier to go for these harder regions.

UPDATE INFO-2011-06-02:Made updates to the bonus values, which might still need some work, and added AP-4, TM-4, MI-3 to the list of coded neutral territories to avoid bonuses in those on the drop. Removed the 3 canoes from the coded neutral list to keep the starting number at 44. Updated the info to reflect the conquistador starting at 2 neutral and resetting to 2, rather than starting at 3 and resetting to 2. With that i updated the spanish fort from a bonus of +3 to +5 to make it more likely that someone would go for it. Based on other solid feedback the tomahawk has been updated to a bonus of +2, since it is much harder to kill your enemy up close. I have it staying at a starting value of 3 neutral but changed the bow and arrow to start 2 neutral as a little more temptation for players to go after them.

UPDATE INFO-2011-05-24:Updated both the main legend, and the Additional Bonus legend to help clarify the symbols and their bonus structures.

UPDATE INFO-2011-05-21:Fixed the grammatical error, and tried to give more clarity in the legend description as to what the symbols mean, etc. Changed the text to reflect the spanish fort being +3 instead of auto-deploy, and to start 3 neutral instead of 4 to make it more tempting. Also added the conquistador as resetting to +2 neutral. We think this is pretty cool.

UPDATE INFO-2011-05-16:We adjusted the entire map size, which opened it up a bit more. We also redid all of the territory boarders and removed all of the four-way boarders, as well as included preliminary army numbers to give a better visual. I will comment more on the the territory placement, etc. shortly, but wanted to get v3.0 up for commenting.

UPDATE INFO-2011-05-10:Based on the feedback provided, we removed 1 warrior from each tribe, 9 total were taken away. This opened the War Zone up a bit, and once we get more into the graphics workshop we will certainly adjust the spacing of those territories to make it all fit right. We added the 3 canoes as actual territories which will start neutral, rather than just being pass throughs. Instead of making impassables we added 2 "Swamps", which start neutral, and lose one warrior per turn until there is only 1 left. They add two small adjustments to players strategies for getting through a region, or for getting from one end to another. They are also needed for a player to receive that regions bonus. The "Additional Bonuses" were adjusted from 5 warriors to 4 warriors needed for the +3 bonus. The number of starting territories were adjusted to fit better with the new number of territories. And, in order to meet the golden number of starting positions, one territory, AP-3, will be coded neutral.

UPDATE INFO-2011-05-01:Added text descriptions for the Timucua War Zone, as well as territory labels and abbreviations to the legend. I know it looks like a lot, and maybe flipping some of the icons around would make it a little less congested, but we think it looks pretty good, and actually there are more complicated maps that we have seen.

UPDATE INFO-2011-04-29:Hi everyone, here is the updated version of Tribal War-Florida, based on the feedback and suggestions from v1.0. We are working on the territory names and labels, but will most likely go with an abbreviation system. For example, Tequesta would be TQ, and the warriors would be numbered TQ1-TQ5, and the Chief would be TQ6. Or something along those lines. We added the Sea Routes to make it easier to get around, and also added the Shell Mound Ruins as a stop-gap to the Timuca War Zone. This way not every territory within that region can freely attack the other end of the Sea Route. They would need to take the Ruin first. The information above has been edited to include the new details. It's a pretty simple concept, and with the updated map I think it makes it a lot cleaner, and easier to follow. Please let us know your thoughts. We appreciate your time and consideration.

Last edited by Seamus76 on Sun Feb 05, 2012 10:25 pm, edited 72 times in total.

You are going to need territory names, though. You may have to fiddle with the shape of some territories to fit the names on them.

Is that Timucua zone really one territory? I think it creates too big of a chokepoint... perhaps you could divide it a little. Also, the map is a bit too choked up otherwise... some sea routes would fix this nicely.

Graphically this looks really nice, better than 99% of first drafts we see here. Shows that you've really put some effort to it. However, there's room for improvement too... The tents are too similar in tone, it's a bit hard to distinguish some of them. Also, you should include the non-playable land area... Florida is not an island.

I would also recommend to make the shape of the land area a bit more stylistic. It gives more of a feel of old times... accurate maps are more a modern thing. That is, remove those very small islands that serve no gameplay purpose, and smooth out the shorelines somewhat.

I like the middle sections as a "free for all" section, where each territory attacks the other. Don't see how this would work as a 'chokepoint' at all (re natty's comment). Should be very easy to cross indeed!I agree, however, that sea routes are a good idea, to provide access from one end to the other.

Only Conquistador attacks Spanish fort, check - but does all territories in the middle section attack Conquistador? Seems a little 'closed off' with those palisades.

Seamus76 wrote: It includes a "free-for-all" territory, the Timucua War Zone,

Ok, this was a bit misleading... it seems you mean Timucua to be a free-for-all bonus area, which consists of several territories. Your usage of the word "territory" threw me off a bit here...

So, in that case, being a chokepoint is not a problem, but it can run into other problems... if I understand correctly, every icon inside that region can assault every other icon? And they can all also assault/be assaulted by the neighboring territories?

Thanks so much for everyone's time and consideration. These are exactly the things we're looking to work out, and make the map as clear, and as fun, as possible.

I apologize for the misunderstanding. You are correct, the TImucua War Zone, is one bonus zone, which includes 27 territories (17 warriors, 3 chiefs, 5 weapons, and the fort and conquistador). Excluding the fort and conquistador, any one the territories can be attacked by any territory bordering the area (6 territories in all), and all territories within that zone can attack each other, and any of the 6 bordering territories. The Conquistador can only be attacked by a territory within the Timucua zone, and is the only territory that can attack the fort. It would start +4 neutral.

Rather than changing the overall colors of the bonus areas we were hoping that adding the territory names/labels in the same color would help distinguish them from each other even more. Also, would it help to have each of the teepees next to their respective bonus area name in the Legend? Obviously we want to make sure it is visually clear and acceptable, and would make any changes necessary to make that happen.

As for Sea routes, we purposefully did not use them for a couple of reasons, one of which was the silly thought that historically the Native American canoes were not fit for sea travel. That being said, if adding sea routes makes the map more playable, or more challenging then we could easily add them. Our thought was to keep the focus on the War Zone where most of the action would be, and make it more challenging to actually win the final game by having to pick through each territory to eliminate your opponent, rather than taking the short route. This might give the opponent one slim chance to catch that last card or make a final stand. Which we all appreciate when you're on that side of the dice. Sea routes are nice, but we want to make sure they enhance the map, and not just give players an easy way around. Which we do recognize has it's place, and if our map is that place we are all for it.

Well, the sea routes are no biggie to me, just voicing personal opinion.

Regarding the chiefs:Something if off here. Jeaga and Tequesta territories have one, but the other 2-territory 'continent' (Ais) has none. To boot, the 3-territory (Choctaw) continent has none.

I suggest either giving those two last continents a chief as well, or take away the chief from Jeaga and Tequesta and place one on Choctaw. In the latter case, the smallest continent with a chief would then be 3 territories, which seems appropriate to me.

Edit: Checking again, it seems like those smaller continents wouldn't even be able to take a bonus from the chief (requiring a minimum of 3 teepees for the +1). Maybe I missed something here?

Seamus76 wrote:I apologize for the misunderstanding. You are correct, the TImucua War Zone, is one bonus zone, which includes 27 territories (17 warriors, 3 chiefs, 5 weapons, and the fort and conquistador). Excluding the fort and conquistador, any one the territories can be attacked by any territory bordering the area (6 territories in all), and all territories within that zone can attack each other, and any of the 6 bordering territories. The Conquistador can only be attacked by a territory within the Timucua zone, and is the only territory that can attack the fort. It would start +4 neutral.

Ah, ok. You need to make this more clear on the map. For example, the fort/conquistador thing is not explained anywhere, and it's not instantly obvious by looking at the map.

As for the idea of a free-for-all-zone... it can work, it has been done before, at least on Supermax... however, I don't think you should bother specifying a bonus value for the war zone, I don't think anyone is ever going to be able to hold that area, except when he's already winning the game... and at that point, +6 is like piss in the ocean...

Seamus76 wrote:Rather than changing the overall colors of the bonus areas we were hoping that adding the territory names/labels in the same color would help distinguish them from each other even more.

I would advise against this. I understand you want to use the colour scheme to support the theme of your map, but the priority should always be clarity and easy map readability. I fear that making the territory labels multicolour would make the map too chaotic - the different teepees are all mixed up within the regions, so the result would be a jumble of colours...

Perhaps you could create some simple, yet distinctive native american-style patterns for each teepee. This could be a way to better tell the tribes apart, while still keeping your colour palette.

While I'm on the subject of colours... something about the ocean colour feels wrong to me. It just seems to fight with the rest of the map... perhaps something less saturated and faded, while still keeping some contrast with the land colours...

Seamus76 wrote:Also, would it help to have each of the teepees next to their respective bonus area name in the Legend? Obviously we want to make sure it is visually clear and acceptable, and would make any changes necessary to make that happen.

Is there some gameplay relation between the bonus areas and the same colour teepees?

Seamus76 wrote:As for Sea routes, we purposefully did not use them for a couple of reasons, one of which was the silly thought that historically the Native American canoes were not fit for sea travel. That being said, if adding sea routes makes the map more playable, or more challenging then we could easily add them.

Yes, I would advise adding sea routes. The movement is a bit constrained on the map currently, it's hard to get from one end to the other... too closed a gameplay will easily stagnate.

There doesn't need to be many. Perhaps 2 routes from one side of the war zone to the other.

Btw, usually it's good to post your updates to both ends of the thread... it's good to keep the first post up to date, but also good to have the update in the end of the thread so people won't have to scroll back to first post when you update...

Yeah, it's a bit late here and I have to get to sleep, early wake up tomorrow... anyway, I like the added sea routes, they open up the map somewhat, which is good. It would be good to add territory names asap, though. It's tough to comment on gameplay without some kind of names to reference the territories by.

Does that one sea route connect to the ruins only, not the whole war zone? If so, perhaps you could clarify it by having the icon for the ruins be hanging a bit towards the sea, on top of the coastline as it were, so that it's clear that the sea route only connects to it....

Also, a textual explanation of the war zone would be a good addition... something like "territories in the warzone all assault each other", just so it's clear to the players.

UPDATE INFO-2011-05-01:Added text descriptions for the Timucua War Zone, as well as territory labels and abbreviations to the legend. I know it looks like a lot, and maybe flipping some of the icons around would make it a little less congested, but we think it looks pretty good, and actually there are more complicated maps that we have seen.

I'm a bit concerned though, that the war zone might be a bit too tight for the small map... not sure if all the army numbers will be able to fit in the small version.

You are using space a bit wastefully, though. Hence I have a suggestion, which you might not entirely like... since it will be extra work for you. But anyway...

What I suggest is "zooming in" to the land area a bit more. Currently, you are not using the maximum dimensions... so it's easy to zoom in, and that small group of tiny islands in the south tip can be left out, since it serves no gameplay purpose... This will enable you to zoom in more to the land, by cropping the image so that the playable land area reaches to the edges of the image.

That draft is starting to look nice. Good word! However, from the gameplay point of view I am a bit concerned with the war zone. If I have not mistaken my calculations, aproximately 40% of the territories form part of the war zone. So we have basically 40% of the map where everybody can attack everybody with no choke points and no structure at all. In my humble opinion that's maybe too much.

The idea of a free for all zone it's interesting, but I would reduce it's size.

In fact, the rest of the map it's also very open, with almost no impassables. In my opinion a bit more geography needs to be added so players can use the land shape as a point in their strategies.

We could look at taking away one warrior per tribe, which would cut it down by 9. As for impassables, we could maybe add a swamp or two, like Okefenokee, or something along those lines. Maybe an impassable alligator area. Not sure though, we like the chaos factor being very high in that area.

Yes, the chaos factor is an interesting thing. But like everything, it has to be in it's right amount. Not too much, not too few.

I think that cuting the free-for-all zone down by 9 it's a very good choice. The result would be a zone that still would be quite big, but not too big in comparison with the rest of the map, so it would be like the right balance

A couple of swamps could be interesting, or maybe a river or a mountain chain (don't know Florida's geography, so I am not sure if there exists a river or a mountain that can be represented in the map as impassable).